1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to an apparatus for adjusting coffin beds, and more particularly, to an apparatus for adjusting both the vertical height and the tilt of a bed in a burial casket.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable to be able to adjust the vertical height and the tilt of a coffin bed within a casket. These adjustments are utilized so that the deceased may be appropriately viewed during memorial services. In the past, devices for so adjusting the height and tilt of coffin beds generally have not been of simple construction and have either been cumbersome to use or of complicated and expensive construction.
The following is a list of U.S. Patents which disclose various adjustable coffin beds. These patents disclose a wide variety of coffin bed adjusting mechanisms.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 289,643 Goff 1,800,793 Harms 1,934,425 Harms 2,051,163 Corrigan 2,159,144 Fletcher 2,729,875 White 2,848,781 Slaughter et al. 2,888,732 Nelson 3,065,516 Dower 3,192,596 Gruber 3,300,828 Hegman et al. 3,300,829 Hegman et al. 3,539,142 Morand 3,568,275 Carson 3,653,104 Nelson 2,670,517 Hillenbrand et al. 2,839,814 Harter ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 289,643 to Goff discloses a device using notch standards to raise and lower the bed. The use of notches as in Goff and in other patents tends to make manipulation and adjustment of the bed cumbersome since the entire bed is moved by hand and not by the use of a mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,793 to Harms discloses a device which uses a complicated hinged levering mechanism centrally located beneath the bed, and requires a number of complicated parts and materials. U.S. Pat. No. 1,934,425 to Harms discloses another notch and lever tilting device which requires several parts and a curved notched member. U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,163 to Corrigan discloses yet another complicated notch and bar elevating mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 2,159,144 to Fletcher discloses a large mechanism which tilts an entire casket. U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,875 to White discloses a device which uses a horizontal rod and a column of apertures, and is similar in use to the notch devices. Slaughter et al. discloses a device which requires the actual tilting of the bed itself upon a pivoting point after a nut and screw which maintains the tilt is loosened. This device must be tilted by hand and requires reaching into the coffin to get at the screw to loosen it. U.S. Pat. No. 2,888,732 to Nelson discloses a complex mechanical device using several lever arms with pivoting points. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,192,596 to Gruber, 3,300,828 to Hegman et al., and 3,568,275 to Carson also disclose the use of notched members to adjust the height of the bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,516 to Dower discloses a tilting apparatus using springs and a number of complicated tilting mechanisms. Various angles are achieved by rotating a number of threaded shafts through a number of elevation members which have bed support members pivotally mounted to them. The apparatus disclosed requires a complicated device and a number of mechanisms to achieve tilting and height adjustment. The disclosed device shows the use of five separate mechanisms to adjust the tilt and elevation of the bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,142 to Morand discloses a device which adjusts the vertical position of the coffin bed and maintains the height adjustment with a spring release mechanism. The mechanism does not provide for tilting the coffin bed on an axis that runs the length of the coffin.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,104 to Nelson discloses a device which uses a housing and a bed support member which is pivotally mounted to the housing. The bed support member is tilted by a connection to a first shaft travels vertically up to pivot a bed support member. U.S. Pat. No. 2,670,517 to Hillenbrand et al. discloses a device which has a pair of plates pivotally mounted to each other. One plate is connected to the coffin bed and has a curved gear at one end. A worm gear drives the curved gear so that the coffin bed plate pivots on the other plate. U.S. Pat. No. 2,839,814 to Harter discloses the basic twin plate idea of Hillenbrand et al. 2,670,517 but obtains the pivoting of the bed supporting plate by the use of a push rod rather than a worm gear and a curved plate gear. The user has to reach to tighten a nut so as to keep the bed tilted.